[kenrexford]

You open 2NT. Partner transfers. How do you play, or think at least?

1. Does a super-accept require 4+ support for the major?
2. If so, what is a new suit after 2NT-transfer-puppet-3NT?
3. If not, what is a new suit after 2NT-transfer-puppet-3NT?

This came up in a discussion of a specific hand. Opener holds ♠Kxx ♥AJx ♦AKxxx ♣Ax and opens 2NT (I agree). Partner transfers to hearts. I personally would super-accept the transfer with ♠Kxx ♥AQx ♦AKxxx ♣Ax; curious of others' thoughts.

Anyway, Opener bids 3♥. Responder bids 3NT. For me, this is good enough to super-accept becaause my failure to super-accept the transfer immediately means that I'm a tad lighter; curious of others' thoughts here, as well.

[ArtK78]

After years of toying around with super-accepts on only 3 card support, I did away with them. Now, I only super-accept with 4 cards in partner's suit (assuming the hand is otherwise suitable for a super-acceptance).

[BillHiggin]

My opinion (fair market value is less than 2 cents) is to make 3 card super accepts (cheapest Nt bid) based more on control structure than strict min/max considerations. I would agree with a super accept on either example. I probably will not be able to make assumptions about my partner's failure to super accept until I can increase the value of my opinions to around a nickel or so.

[awm]

I would routinely transfer over 2NT on a zero-count with a five-card major. Super-accepting always gets us to game. I'd like to have the fourth trump for this.

After partner's 3NT call, bidding a new suit shows a hand with three trumps but good controls (cuebid).

[cherdano]

Han and me play 3N as a 3-card superaccept. This is done with hands that would cooperate with/accept a slam try in the major.
It clarifies auction such as 2N 3H 3S 4D 4H, which is now cooperating with a diamond slam try.

[kenrexford]

cherdano, on Oct 5 2007, 04:54 PM, said:

Han and me play 3N as a 3-card superaccept. This is done with hands that would cooperate with/accept a slam try in the major.
It clarifies auction such as 2N 3H 3S 4D 4H, which is now cooperating with a diamond slam try.

So, playing that, what would a new minor show (2N 3D 3H 3N 4m)? What would your thoughts be with Kxx-AJx-AKxxx-Ax or Kxx-AQx-AKxxx-Ax?

[cherdano]

kenrexford, on Oct 5 2007, 05:29 PM, said:

cherdano, on Oct 5 2007, 04:54 PM, said:

Han and me play 3N as a 3-card superaccept. This is done with hands that would cooperate with/accept a slam try in the major.
It clarifies auction such as 2N 3H 3S 4D 4H, which is now cooperating with a diamond slam try.

So, playing that, what would a new minor show (2N 3D 3H 3N 4m)? What would your thoughts be with Kxx-AJx-AKxxx-Ax or Kxx-AQx-AKxxx-Ax?

I would superaccept with either IF playing 3-card superaccepts. And 2N 3D 3H 3N 4m would not exist.

[FrancesHinden]

I stick to 4-card support for a super-accept. This makes slam bidding easier, and I haven't yet had a hand where failure to super-accept with 3 trumps has led to a missed game (yes, I know we can invent ones).

I don't superaccept on all 4-card supports, either. You say 'do I want to be in game opposite a hand that was going to pass the transfer' before deciding whether to do so.

That said, I play 2NT - (3D/H) - 3NT as showing 5-2 in the majors [which breaks the above rule] as I don't have a method for responder to show 3-5/5-3.

And consequently 2NT - transfer-complete-3NT - 4 new suit= a 'superaccept' with 3 trumps. The bid is a trial bid, not a cue bid (so AKx Kxx AQ10xx Ax bids 4D not 4C).

By the way, I would not have opened your sample hand 2NT, but I play a 2NT opening as 20-22 and you can't afford to upgrade many hands.

[TheoKole]

I ALLWAYS have 4+ trumps for a super-accept of a transfer bid (after a 1NT or 2NT opener), and my regular partners have learned to rely on this. Also, there have been many hands which I have had which would have passed after a transfer but change after a super-acceptance.

The 9 card fit increases the value of the combined hands by at least an Ace.

There are few bridge "rules" that I have not occasionally broken but this one and never passing a forcing bid by partner are 2 of them.

I have learned to appreciate the value of the extra trump. It has kept me undoubled when the opps have a trump stack in an unmakable contract, and it usually gives extra options for declaring the hand.

Love those extra trumps,

Theo

[han]

Arend and I just decided to allow 4m with a very unusual holding, something like Ax KQxx Kx AKJxx would bid 2NT-3D-4C (that one is perhaps a bit extreme.

But generally we bid the cheapest suit with 4-card support.

I like the 3-card superaccept. For one thing responder is better able to pass 3M with a really poor hand. On the other hand it simplifies auctions like

2NT - 3H
3S - 4C
??

Here 4D and 4H are both cuebids for clubs as opener can't have a great hand for spades.